Neverfail Never Fails
by Beatrise Halnbenn
Summary: When Maldark escapes the game for the second time, it's up to Neverfail to stop him again.


**Neverfail Never Fails**

_A Level Up fan fiction_

Wyatt locked eyes with Angie one last time, and fired.

There was a deafening bang, and the shot found its target: Maldark. He and his hundreds of minions were destroyed in an explosive instant, with ash raining down from the sky.

Blast-a-ton had thrown Wyatt back several yards, sending shock waves up his body. He scrambled to his feet and peered through the haze and dust, looking for any remains. He found Angie looking through the other side.

Angie ran to him and they collided, an embrace that smelled of smoke and pine needles. Angie broke the touch after a moment, suddenly embarrassed. "What happened?" she asked.

"All of Maldark's minions came here through him. When he was destroyed, so were they," Wyatt said, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Where are Lyle and Dante? I didn't see them before you fired."

"I don't know. Let's go find them." He started to leave.

"Wait!" Angie said. Wyatt turned to her. Angie hit him in the arm with her metal Fist of Schoolage.

"_Ow_!"

"Don't ever do that again!" Angie said angrily, pulling Wyatt into a kiss.

He gaped at her, and then a small smile tugged at his lips. "How long have you-"

She blushed furiously. "You almost died!"

Wyatt shook himself. "Can we talk about that later? We need to find Lyle and Dante."

"Oh, we _will_ talk about it," Angie muttered before they split up and started searching the forest.

Wyatt found Dante behind a cluster of bushes, curled up in a ball and mumbling to himself.

"Dante. Dante!" Wyatt whispered loudly, kneeling next to him.

"Wyatt?" Dante uncurled and looked up. "Wyatt! What happened?"

"We barded Maldark! All of his-"

"_Where's Lyle_? He was too close to the blast, he's hurt, I _know_ he's hurt…" Dante was getting frantic now, pacing back and forth. "I-I was a coward. I ran. Lyle was taking on a Midnight Dragon by himself and I ran, and I hid." He stopped and looked at Wyatt, desperation in his eyes. "Wyatt… tell me he'll be okay."

Wyatt hesitated, not sure what to say, when a shout came from across the forest.

"_Wyatt_!"

Wyatt and Dante ran to the sound of the voice, to the base of a huge tree, where they found Angie… and Lyle.

Lyle was lying down and breathing hard, Thunder Pole next to him. Half of his body was scorched and burned badly, showing pink inflated skin oozing clear liquid. One of his legs was torn open, as if from a great sharp claw, and it was bleeding profusely.

Dante groaned and tore at his hair, walking back and forth. "He's in a lot of pain," Angie said, looking at Wyatt with concern.

"Let's get him to a hospital!" Dante said, frustrated.

"We can't move him like this."

Wyatt said, "We have to _do_ something! He's losing a lot of blood!"

Dante took off his jacket, ripped a piece off and wound it around Lyle's bleeding leg. "That'll have to do for now."

"Why isn't he talking? Can he even hear us?" fretted Wyatt.

"Yeah I can hear you," Lyle said weakly. "And Dante, when's the last time you washed this jacket?"

"That doesn't matter now," Dante said tensely. "What matters is how we're going to fix you." He took a pause for breath and glanced back at the others. "How are we going to fix you, exactly?"

"We can use Thunder Pole!" Wyatt exclaimed abruptly. "Lyle, you can just heal _yourself_."

"No man, I don't have the kind of energy you need to cast a healing spell, or any spell for that matter," Lyle coughed.

"I'll do it," Dante said, standing up.

"You? Do you even know how?" Wyatt said.

"Lyle could show me."

"But-" Wyatt started again. Angie grabbed his hand and pulled him to the side.

Dante kneeled next to his friend as Lyle whispered instructions to him. After a few minutes, Dante stood up, gripped Thunder Pole in one hand and shouted, "_Stealing Healing_!" Dante, Wyatt, and Angie slumped to the ground as the spell took its toll.

Lyle stood tall on his healed leg. "Sorry guys," he said. "Dante should have told you that the spell would use your energy to heal me." He crouched beside Dante. "Thank you."

Dante staggered forward and clasped him tightly, his eyes brimming with tears. Then Lyle helped him up and said, "Come on."

All four of them began walking home, past the burnt trees and gouged earth, leaving their secret life behind.


End file.
